Journal-bearing



Patented May I6, I899; T. J. TELLEFSEN.

JOURNAL BEARING.

(Application filed Oct. 30, 1897. Renewed Apr. 15, 1899.)

(No Model.)

llul luuuuuuulu a T N 1% mV E z E =w a J E THEODORE J. TELLEFSEN, OF NEWARK, JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I-IYATT ROLLER BEARING COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

JOURNAL-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,995, dated May 16, 1899.

Application filed October 30, 1897. Renewed April 15, 1899. Serial No. 713,177. (No model.)

SEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Journal-Bearings Having Spirally-Wound Rolls, fully described and represented in the following specification and Y antifriction roller consisting of one spiral the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The. present invention is designed to improve the operation of those roller bearingsin which the antifriction-rolls are formed of cylindrical spiral springs. In making the springs for such rolls it has been common to wind a long strip of rectangular section upon a mandrel into a spring of indefinite length and to out such spring into sections to form the required rollers, thus making all the rolls of the same twist whether right or left hand.

It is common to supply oil to such bearings to prevent wear of the surfaces, and when the rolls all have the same twist it has been found that the rolls tend to feed or work all the oil which is supplied to the bearing toward one end of the journal by the engagement of the oil with the spiral interspace between the coils of each spring, and one of the present improvements consists in supplying the hearing with rolls, a part of which are wound with right-hand twist and part with left-hand twist, so that the oil which is crowded toward one end of the bearing by one part of the rolls may be fed in the opposite direction by the remaining rolls. Such'construction produces a particularly efficient lubrication for the journal, as the oil is constantly moved by the rolls toward one end of the journal or the other, and is thus distributed positively over its entire length. Where such rolls are placed in loose contact with one another around the journal, ithas been common to provide a movable guide consisting oftwo or three parallel bars connected at their ends by semi-annular arched braces. Such bars divide the rolls around the journal into unequal groups; and one object of the present.

by extending the ends of the braces past the center line of the journal. Where the inner sides ofthe braces interfere with their passage over a shaft laterally, (which is necessary in applying the guide to the shaft in most cases,) I trim off the inner corners of the braces, so as to make their inner sides parallel to one another.

The invention also includes a composite spring fitted tightly inside another to reinforce the strength of the outer coils, the coils of the respective springs being preferably wound in reverse directions or made of different pitch, so that their interspaces may not coincide. It is old to make flexible shaft-- ing of a composite spiral spring; but the ments, the cap of the bearing being removed.

Fig. 2 is a section 011 line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows an alternative arrangement for the reversely-wound rolls. Fig.4 is a plan of the guide; Fig. 5, an end view of the guide and journal. Fig. 6 shows one of the composite rolls, partly in section, to exhibit the inner spring; and Fig. 7 is an end view of the same.

A is the body of the hearing; A, its cap; 13, the chamber containing the rolls 0, and D is the journal sustained by the rolls.

E are the lateral bars of the guide, E the central bar, and F the arched braces. The bars are shown concave where they touch the rolls.

In Fig. 1 the rolls in the group at one side of the guide-bar E are shown wound with a right-hand twist and those at the other side with a left-hand twist. In Fig. 2 each of such groups is shown comprising three rolls, and the four rolls in the bottom group may also be wound one-half of them with the righthand twist and the other half with the lefthand twist. One-half the rolls in the bearing would thus be wound in each direction, and they would operate as they rotate within the casing to carry the oil alternately back and forth over the length of the journal.

To divide the rolls into groups of nearly equal size, and to thus avoid any irregularity in the passage of the guides beneath the j ournal, and to enable the rolls to support the journal uniformly, the arched braces are constructed to include about two-thirds of a circle, which carries the ends of the braces past the center line of the journal. It is very desirable to apply the braces to the journal laterally, so that the guide may be removed from the bearing when the cap is loosened from the same, and to effect such object the ends of the braces are not extended inwardly concontric with the journal, but are formed with parallel faces F, which adapt the braces to pass over the journal, as shown in Fig. 5. By this construction the guide-bars are disposed at substantially equal distances around the journal and the entire guide is adapted for application to the shaft at the side of the same, thus avoiding the necessity of exposing the end of the shaft to apply the guide. The winding of the rolls in opposite directions performs the desired function in distributing the oil irrespective of the guides, and to illustrate this function the casing is omitted in Fig. 3 and the rolls are shown applied to the journal without any guide, the alternate rolls being wound in opposite directions, and thus producing the same effect upon the oil as described for the oppositely-wound groups in Fig. 1.

In the composite rolls shown in Fig. 6 the coils of the outer spring 0 are wound with right-hand twist, while the coils of the inner spring 0 are wound with left-hand twist, thus making the interspaces of the coils cross one another and enabling the inner coils to sustain the pressure upon the outer coils more efiectively. The same effect may be produced by winding the inner and outer springs of the same twist, but of different pitches, so that the interspaces may not coincide.

By fitting the inner spring snugly within the outer spring the strength of the roll is enormously increased, and the strength of a solid roll is obtained, in connection with the flexibility of the spiral spring, which has proved to be of great advantage in such bearlutely unattainable with a single spring, as metal of half-inch thickness could not in practice be wound upon a mandrel of halfinch diameter. The inner spring is in practice fitted snugly within the outer spring by making it of suitable size to enter the bore of the outer spring when the latter is grasped at opposite ends and slightly untwisted to enlarge its bore, the reaction of the outer spring when its ends are released serving to clamp the inner spring and firmly hold it in place.

It is obvious that the flexibility of each spring is preserved in the composite structure, and the flexibility of the entire roll is much greater than if-it were wound of a single coil of thicker metal. The inner spring serves to reinforce the outer spring whatever the proportions or arrangement of the coils and interspaces but the winding of the inner springs so as to avoid the coincidence of the interspaces serves to sustain the coils of the outer spring more perfectly under the lateral pressure of the load. I have found in practice that the efficiency of a roller-bearing is greatly increased by the use of the composite rolls and triple-bar guides and that the lubrication can only be perfectly maintained by forming the rolls in the casing of opposite twists.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim herein is- 1. In a roller bearing, the combination, with the journal and a cylindrical casing surrounding the same, of a series of spiral-spring rolls fitted between the journal and casing and compressed by the load upon the journal, the rolls being wound, a part of them with right-hand twist and a part with lefthand twist, to preserve an equal distribution of the oil, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a roller-bearing, the combination, with the journal and a cylindrical casing sur* rounding the same, of a series of composite rolls fitted between the journal and casing and compressed by the load upon the journal, and formed each of two spiral springs, the inner one fitted snugly within the outer to reinforce it under the lateral compression of the load imposed by the journal, substan tially as herein set forth.

3. In a rollerbearing, the combination, with the journal and a cylindrical casing surrounding the same, of a series of composite rolls fitted between the journal and casing and compressed by the load upon the jour nal, and formed each of two spiral springs, one fitted snugly within the other, and the inner spring being wound in a reverse direc tion to the outer spring, to prevent the coincidence of their interspaces and to more effect ively support the lateral compression, sub stantially as herein set forth.

4. A roller-bearing having three groups of loose rolls and provided with a guide having three guide-bars and two arched braces each embracing about two-thirds of a circle, and the guide-bars attached to the braces at nearly nearly equal distances from oneanother, each arched brace comprising about two-thirds of 10 a circle, and the inner sides of the braces at their ends being formed with flat faces F to pass over the journal when applied laterally thereto, substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing l5 Witnesses.

THEODORE J. TELLEFSEN. Witnesses:

EVARTS L. PRENTISS, THOMAS S. CRANE. 

